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The Medicine Hat Police Service has more than tripled the number of body worn cameras it uses, raising the total from 26 to 86.
The service said the expansion meets an Alberta government rule that requires all frontline officers to wear the cameras. It also said the change is meant to improve transparency, accountability and public trust.
“Body-worn cameras are an important tool that supports both the public and our officers,” said Sgt. Sean McGuigan, the service’s body-worn camera co-ordinator. “By expanding our program, we are strengthening our ability to accurately document interactions, enhance accountability and continue building confidence in the work our members do every day.”
Alberta announced the mandate in March 2023. It was the first province in Canada to require body cameras for all municipal and First Nations police officers.
Medicine Hat’s program began as a pilot project in 2017. It grew slowly as the service studied costs, storage needs and how to handle digital evidence. The service added eight cameras in 2022, bringing its total to 18 at the time. Officials have said each camera costs about $950, plus monthly fees to store the footage.
The cameras do not record all the time, officers turn them on for calls, investigations, arrests and other situations where video may help. When switched on each camera also saves the 30 seconds of video captured just before it starts.
Footage is kept under strict rules where recordings are deleted after 13 months unless they are linked to a criminal or provincial offence investigation. All video falls under Alberta’s Protection of privacy Act, and private details about other people may be blurred or removed before footage is released.
MHPS says all camera users have finished recent training on the law and on service policy.
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